Dry cleaning machine



E; DAVIS I DRY CLEANING MACHINE March 9, 1943.

Filed Nov. 8, 1940 2 SheetS Shee't 1 FIG.I"

i -25 l L FIG.'2

INVENTOR. %RNEST DAVIS BY A TTORNEYS.

. March 9, 1943. E. DAVIS DRY CLEANI NG MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 8, 1940 INVENTOR. ERNEST DAVIS ATTORNEYS.

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Patented Mar. 9, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" I 2,313,225 H Q J T DRY CLEANING MACHINE Ernest Davis, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to The Prosperity Company, Inc., Syracuse, N. ,Y., a, I corporation of New York g Application November 8, 1940, Serial No. 364,915

3 Claims.

This invention relates, generally, to apparatus for treating articles with a volatile fluid, and

comprises a' plurality of machines in which the articles are successively treated, as for instance,

a dry cleaning apparatus embodying a washing machine in which the articles are washed in a liquid, as perchlorethylene, a centrifugal extractor for removing the greater portion of the liquid from the Washed articles, and a drying tumbler into which air is passed through the articles therein to defume or deodorize and drythe articles. i

It has for its object a machine'in which the articles may be transferred by the operator by hand from the washer to the extractor, from the extractor to the tumbler without opening the cabinet .in which the machines are enclosed, to the outlet of fumes and gases therefrom and to the inlet .of outer air. More specifically, it has for its object a flexible sleeve or sleeves for re-; ceiving the operators arm, the sleeve extending into the cabinet and being closed at its inner end and openingat its outer end through a wall of r the cabinet, the sleeve being secured and sealed to said wall around the opening;

It also has for its object an arrangement ofv the machines in the cabinet by which such transfer is readily made.

It further has for its object a transparent window relative-to the machines and the transfer means through which the operator can readily see the articles during the manipulation or transfer thereof from'one machine to another.

It further has for its object a door arrangement by which the doors, when open, assume a position in which they facilitate the transferring of the articles from one machine and compartment to another, as from the washing machine to the extractor.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions here-"- inafter set forth and claimed.

In describingthis'invention reference is held to the accompanying drawings in which likecharacters designate corresponding parts ,in all the views. Figure 1 is a front elevation of an apparatus embodying this invention. I Figure 2 is a sectional view on line 22,' Figure 1. Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal-sectional view on the plane of lines-3, Figure2.

Figure 4'i s a sectional view on line 4-4, Figure 3. p w Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail view a dry cleaning apparatusincluding a washingmachine designated generally as I, a centrifugal. extractor 2, and a defumer and drying tumbler 3, these being enclosed in a gas-tight cabinet 4.

.The cabinet is preferably provided with pa'r'ti-.

tions 5, '6 separating the'interior thereof into a washer compartment 1, extractor compartment 8, and a] drying tumbler compartment 9. The

washing machine may be of any suitable construction it being here shown as comprising a clothes container, drum or hydro-wheel I0 mounted on a shaft II to move about a hori-' zontal axis, -the-drum having one or more load ing doors I2 to be brought into alinement with a loading door' I3in the outerwall of the compartment 1 for the purposeof loading the clothes or articles in the drum I0. The shaft II is ac,-

tuated in any suitable manner, it beingshown as provided with, a pulley I4 located outside the cabinet, .which pulley may be'connected in any washing drum Hi from which'leads a valve'controlled outlet IS the compartment 1 above the partition being also provided with a suitable-inlet at i! for. the cleaning fluid. The drum- I0 is also provided with unloading door openings'lB' in the end wall thereof opposed to the partition 5, these doors being here shown as hinged at, [9

' at their edges toward the. axis of the drumand as swingable or-openablethrough a door opening 20 in the partition 5 When alinedtherewith. The

door opening 20 is normally closed by a door 2| hinged at 22 to the partition and swings downwardly into the compartment 9 over the edge of the basket 23 of the extractor. I F

In transferring the articles from the washing drum ii) to the extractor, the drum isstopped with one of the doors l8 opposite the door opening 20. The door 2| is then; opened as will be hereinafter described, until it assumes the dash line position (Figure 3) and then the door l8 opens to its dash line position (Figure 3). It laps over onto the open door 2| forming therewith a chute over which the articles being removed from the drum can be passed in their transfer to the extractor basket 23.

2 designates generally the extractor, this being located in the intermediate compartment 8.,It includes the basket 23 previously referred to, and an outer casing, the basket being rotatable at a comparatively high speed in the outer casing to perform the extracting operation. It is mounted on a spindle 25 actuated in any suitable or well known manner. The casing 24 is mounted upon a transverse partition 28 in the lower portion of the compartment, this partition inclining downwardly'toward the compartment I. The casing The actuating mechanisms for the drums Ill, 28

and the, extractor basket 23 form nopart of. the invention. a

The tumbler drum. is also formed with a loading door 32 in the side thereof opposed to the partition 6, this door being arranged to be brought into alinement with the door 33 in the partition 6, which door'is-shown as hinged at 34 at its upper edge and as openable upwardly about its. hinge into the dash line position (Figure 3). The door 32' is slidable into open and closed p sition. V. v

When both doors are open, the articles may be lifted from the extractor by hand into the tumbler. The tumbler is also formed with a peripheral unloading-door at 35 arranged to be brought into alinement with an unloading door 36 in the front outer wall of the cabinet. The compartment 9 can be cut into communication with a source of heated air which passes into the compartment 8 through a pipe 31, passes through tumbler 29 and the articles therein, and out through outlet pipe 38. The volatile fluid absorbed by'the heated air-is usually condensed from the outer air and the air again heated and recirculated. V l l The compartment 8 is also formed, with a transverse partition 33 near the bottom thereof from" which leads a-valve controlled drain pipe 40 connected to the outlet pipe '28 leading from the compartment 1. r

- The-means by which the articles may be transferred from one machine to another without opening the cabinet to the outlet of volatile fumes,

usually a given number of rotations first in one direction, and then in the other direction, this alternate rotation being continued during the washing period. Then the drum is stopped with one of the doors |8 alined with the door 2|. The operator then thrusts one arm into one of the sleeves II, as seen in Figure 5, opens the doors 2| and I8 into the broken line position (Figure 3) and ,then pulls the articles from the drum l0 through the open doors into the extractor, and

again closes the door. The extractor basket is then started rotation and the rotation continued during extracting operation. The operator then thrusts his arm into the other sleeve 4|, opens the doors 33 and 32 and transfers the articles from the extractor to the drying tumbler and again closes'the doors 32 and 33 and the tumbler starts in the tumbling operation, while the heated air is circulated through the compartment 8 and the tumbler drum 28, the heated air removing practically all the fumes and gases. The drum 28 is, rotated until its unloading door'35 is alined .with the unloading door 36, b'othdoors opened,

and the articles unloaded, as the compartment 8 is then comparatively free of fumes and gases.

- While the drying operation is being performed,

the articles may be transferred from the drum ll! of theextractor without the. outlet of fumes, due' 'to the fact that the doors 32 and 33 in the partition ,8 are closed. During the extracting operation. the washing drum III in the compartment 1 from which the fluid has been drained, may be opened .to the outer atmosphere to be loaded with comparatively little escape of fuses, due to the fact that the doors l8 and 2| are closed.

Owing to the means'or flexible sleeve 4| .by

which the transfer of articles may be made from the washing machine to the extractor and from the extractor to the drying tumbler, it is not' necessary to open the machine at a time when there are fumesin the compartment. Hence,

as here shown, comprises one or more flexible sleeves 4| extending into the compartment 8 and being closed at their outer ends and alined at their inner ends with holes 42 in: thefront outer wallof'the cabinet of the compartment 8 and being secured thereto and alsosealed thereto.

.The closed end 43 of the sleeve isusually in the form of a :glove or mitten. In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, there are two of such sleeves 4| spaced apart and located in position'toeasily manipulate the doors I8, 2| and 33 and to unload the articles from the washin drum l0 into the extractorand from the extractor 1 for the cleansing fluid is opened to permit the fluid tolflll into the compartment 1 to a predetermined level The washing operation'is performed by the drum being rotated about its axis,

the machine may be operated with no discomfort or danger to the operator or other persons because ofthe escape of fumes.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for cleansing articles with a volatile fluid comprising machines in which the articlesj aresubjected to different treatments, a gas tight cabinet enclosing the machines, a partition therein dividing-the cabinet into compart-' ments in which the machines are respectively located, one of such machines comprising a container movable about an axis and having a door opening, anda door therefor. on the side thereof adjacent the partition, and the partition having" a door opening and a door therefor, the door of the container being openable through the door opening of the partition into a position to bridge the gap between the container and the partition and the door in the-partition being openable into a position to bridge the space between the partition and the machine in the next compartment, whereby the two doors form a chute over which the articles may be passed between the machines. I

. 2. In an apparatus for cleaning articles with a volatile fluid comprising machines in which the articles are subjected to different treatments, a gas tight cabinet enclosing the machines, partitions therein dividing the cabinet into compartments in which the machines are respectively located, one of suchmachinescomprising a container movable about an axis and having a door opening, and a door therefor, on the side thereof adjacent the partition, and the partition having a door opening and a doortherefor, the door of the container being openable through the door opening of the partition into a position to bridge the gap between the partition and the machine in the next compartment, whereby the two doors form a chute over which the articles may be passed between the machines embodying the containers and the machine in the adjacent compartment, and means for manipulating the doors and transferring the articles from the outside of the cabinet without opening the cabinet.

3. In an apparatus for treating articles with a volatile fluid comprising a washing machine, an extractor, and a defuming and drying machine, a gas tight cabinet enclosing the machines, and means by which the articles may be transferred by hand from one'machine to another, while the cabinetis completely closed to the outlet of fumes and gases therefrom and the inlet of outerair,

said meanscomprising a pair of flexible sleeves, each for receiving the operators arm located in the cabinet, the sleeves .being spaced apart and located between the washing machine and the extractor and between the extractor and the defuming machine, each sleeve being closed at its inner end and opening at its outer and through a wall of the cabinet and being secured and sealed at its outer end to said wall around the opening, and a transparent window located between the sleeves through which the operations and manipulations of the articles are visible to the operator.

ERNEST'DAVIS. 

